TexMessage: Rick Perry’s unwavering support for gun rights could boost his presidential prospects

Hello, Hello, TexMessagers! Are you sitting under an incandescent light right now? That bulb’s days could be limited… but not if some of your fellow Texans have their way.

★ ★ ★

TEXclusive

Texans have had a love affair with firearms since . . . well, since there was Texas. But the topic of guns seems hotter than ever in Texas right now. Look at the media coverage: KHOU 11 explores whether Texans are safer now that the Texas Legislature has passed a law that allows employees to keep handguns locked in their cars while they work, the Houston Chronicle reports on the aftermath of the Fast and the Furious program, and Texas on the Potomac publishes an interactive map tracking guns from their legal sale in Texas to their ultimate use in drug cartel violence in Mexico.

TEXclusive -- by JEANNA SMIALEK

At the presidential level, gun rights form a major part of Rick Perry‘s conservative appeal, a fact that might come into play should he run for president. He has a lifetime A+ grade from the National Rifle Association — in stark contrast to President Obama, whose support for gun rights has been, shall we say, seriously questioned by Second Amendment activists.

Few American politicians can articulates the gun-rights position As Perry, an avid hunter famously once shot a coyote while on his morning jog, says:

We have changed the terms of debate when it comes to the right to carry, much as we have done with the debate on gun control. Even the most ardent anti-Second Amendment politicians are finding it harder and harder to argue for more gun control when gun ownership levels in America are at all-time high and violent crime rates recently hit a 23-year low.

But the Houston Chronicle’s Stewart Powell also reports that the Lone Star State is among the nation’s leaders in the number of mental health reports submitted to an FBI firearms database. As Powell reports:

Texas’ cooperation contrasts with 25 states and the District of Columbia that have filed fewer than 100 mental health records, according to FBI statistics obtained and released by Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Thirteen of those states have filed fewer than 10 reports and six states have not filed any reports, its data indicates.

Regardless of its safety implications, previous Texas on the Potomac reporting suggests Perry’s support for gun rights could endear him to the Tea Party movement, whose members tend to lean towards traditionally Republican social ideals despite its stated fiscal mission.
Keep an eye on our gun-related coverage to keep yourself informed on the issue!

★ ★ ★

Texas Tips

Every morning, we offer Texas news you may not have heard and insights from the Washington bureau staff.

★ FORMER JACKSON LEE AIDE SUES, CLAIMS ABUSIVE TREATMENT. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s former legislative director is suing the Democratic congresswoman, claiming she made “humiliating” comments about her vision disability while refusing to do anything to accommodate her. At one point, the lawsuit claims, the congresswoman told her: “I don’t care anything about your disability.” More>>>

★ DEFICIT REDUCTION = BLISS. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson wants to bring a military brigade stationed in Germany back to Fort Bliss, a move she thinks could save the government billions and help the Texas economy. More>>>

★ POE PRAISES OBAMA ON PAKISTAN. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, who has been trying to strip $2 billion in foreign aid to Pakistan because of that nation’s lack of cooperation with U.S. anti-terrorism efforts, praised President Obama for withholding aid. “I’m glad the United States held that $800 million back,” Poe told The Hill. “I think it’s a good decision on the part of the administration.” More>>>

★ SAVE THE LIGHT BULBS. Texas continues to oppose a federal mandate that requires a shift from incandescent to more efficient fluorescent light bulbs. Perry says that if made in Texas, the bulbs do not involve interstate commerce and shouldn’t be subject to federal regulation, and Texans say they should be free to use inefficient bulbs if they so choose. More >>>

★ TRACING GUNS TO MURDERS. Check out Texas on the Potomac’s interactive map, based on data amassed by reporter Dan Freedman for his June 29 article “Smuggled guns: the bigger the better” to see details on guns sold in Texas that made it across the border and later turned up at crime scenes. More >>>

★ ★ ★

Poll of the Week

Results of last week’s poll

★ ★ ★

Tweets of the Day

@replouiegohmert (Rep. Louie Gohmert)
The President may need to re-read history – when taxes go up, jobs go down. There are 14.1 million jobless Americans… #cutspendingnow

Reader Comment of the Day

Two years ago, the U.S. Secretary of State said in a speech that Texas and the Houston area had significant involvement in the illegal gun trade to Mexico. Many Chron commenters at the time scoffed at that, and heaped all sorts of angry bile on her for that statement.

But she was correct, as the data here shows. Will those commenters have the stones now to acknowledge that they were wrong? I’m not holding my breath on that one.

★ ★ ★

Texas Watch

TxPotomac lets you know what stories to look out for today — and later this week.

On Deck: Today

★ The Electricity Advisory Committee will meet to discuss smart-grid technology and energy storage at 8:30 a.m. at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

★ The House will reconvene to consider water and energy development appropriations and a possible reform of flood insurance at 12 p.m. EDT.

★ The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a discussion on rising health care costs, with speakers including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Nancy-Ann DeParle, White House deputy chief of staff. The discussion will begin at 9 a.m. EDT.